Republicans Answer Pope With Bill Banning Govt From Protecting Climate

Dave Johnson

In honor of Pope Francis’ address to Congress, House Republicans are taking up their “Responsibly And Professionally Invigorating Development”, or RAPID, Act. (Democrats are calling it the “Regrettably Another Partisan Ideological Distraction.”)

With this bill Republicans are basically saying “This is our answer to you, Pope-guy.” The bill bans government from even considering whether a project will contribute to climate change: “A lead agency may not use the social cost of carbon in the environmental review or environmental decision making process.”